1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanism usable for validating a communication device for allowing usage of television radio bands/channels. In particular, the present invention is related to apparatuses, methods and a computer program product providing a signaling function by means of which a validation process for a communication device capable of using a television radio band/channel for communicating purposes can be executed via a communication network.
2. Related Background Art
Prior art which is related to this technical field can e.g. be found by the technical specification 3GPP TS 36.331 (current version is 10.0.0), 3GPP TS 33.401 (current version is 9.6.0), 3GPP TS 24.301 (current version is 10.1.0), and 3GPP TS 36.40x.
The following meanings for the abbreviations used in this specification apply:
ACK: Acknowledgement
AS: Access Stratum
DL: Downlink
DRB: Data Radio Bearer
E-UTRAN: Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network
eNB: evolved Node B
EPC: Enhanced Packet Core
EPS: Evolved Packet System
FCC: Federal Communications Commission
GPRS: General Packet Radio Service
GTP: GPRS Transport Protocol
HO: Handover
HSS: Home Subscriber Server
ID: Identification
LTE: Long Term Evolution
LTE-A: LTE Advanced
MME: Mobility Management Entity
NACK: Non-Acknowledgment
NAS: Non-Access Stratum
P-GW: Packet Data Network Gateway
PDN: Packet Data Network
RRC: Radio Resource Control
S-GW: Serving Gateway
SRB: Signaling Radio Bearer
TV: Television
TVBD: TV Band Device
TVWS: TV White Space
UE: User Equipment
UL: Uplink
In the last years, an increasing extension of communication networks, e.g. of wire based communication networks, such as the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), DSL, or wireless communication networks, such as the cdma2000 (code division multiple access) system, cellular 3rd generation (3G) communication networks like the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), enhanced communication networks based e.g. on LTE, cellular 2nd generation (2G) communication networks like the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), the General Packet Radio System (GPRS), the Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolutions (EDGE), or other wireless communication system, such as the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), took place all over the world. Various organizations, such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Telecoms & Internet converged Services & Protocols for Advanced Networks (TISPAN), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), the WiMAX Forum and the like are working on standards for telecommunication network and access environments.
As licensed band operation has been increasingly utilized in the recent years, operators, service providers, communication device manufacturers, and communication system manufacturers, are all seeking efficient solutions to utilize unlicensed shared band operation.
Communication on an unlicensed shared band is generally based on sharing an available channel between different communication devices. The different communication devices may utilize a common radio access technology, but in certain scenarios, the different communication devices may utilize different radio access technologies and may have different kind of limitations and rules to operate.
As one example for a possible spectrum opportunity, so-called TV white spaces (TVWS) can be mentioned.
Specifically, governmental and/or administrative bodies assign different frequencies for specific applications, and usually license the rights to use these frequencies. This frequency allocation process creates a band plan, which assigns so-called white space, i.e. unused frequencies, between used radio bands or channels to avoid interferences. In some cases, although the frequencies are unused, they have been specifically assigned for a purpose, such as a guard band. In other cases however, these white spaces exist between used channels, since assigning nearby transmissions to immediately adjacent channels will cause destructive interference to both. In addition, there is also unused radio spectrum which has either never been used, or is becoming free as a result of technical changes.
For instance in television there is the example that the switchover to digital television frees up much frequency space.
Thus, the potential use of TV white spaces has been investigated widely in the recent years, due to their available large bandwidths at suitable frequencies for different radio applications. However, the TV spectrum administration is almost country dependent. Currently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the USA gives detailed description concerning the utilization of TV white spaces' regulations for US area.
At present, the FCC defines two concepts for the help of find available channels: a TV bands database and the geo-location capability to be used in US.
A TV band database that maintains records of all authorized services in the TV frequency bands is capable of determining the available channels as a specific geographic location and provides lists of available channels to TVBSs that have been certified under the FCC's equipment authorization procedures.
The Geo-location capability is defined for some of the TV Band Devices (TVBDs). TVBD with the capability may be able to determine its geographic coordinates within certain level of accuracy (+/−50 m). This capability is used with a TV bands database to determine the availability of TV channels at a TVBD's location.
As an example, based on the concepts of the FCC, several types of TVBDs can be defined wherein corresponding characteristics thereof can be used as the basis for the discrimination therebetween.                Fixed device: A fixed TVBD may be located at a specified fixed location. It may has the following functions;                    Able to select channel from the TV bands database.            Able to initiate and operate a network (by sending enabling signals to other fixed TVBDs or personal/portable TVBDs).            Could act as eNB in case of LTE system deployed in TVWS                        Mode I personal/portable device: Such a device does not use an internal geo-location capability and access to a TV bands database, so it must obtain a channel list from either a fixed TVBD or Mode II personal/portable TVBD (described below). This kind of device may work only as a client/slave, but not as a master                    Could act as UE/communication device in case of LTE system deployed in TVWS            Before Mode II/fixed device can give a channel list (i.e. grant frequency resources) it must validate its identification (in the provided FCC based example a so-called FCC ID) in the TVWS database                        Mode II personal/portable device: A Mode II personal/portable device has similar functions as a fixed TVBD, but does not need to transmit/receive signals at a specified and fixed place                    Could act as eNB in case of LTE system deployed in TVWS                        
One possible scenario in an environment as indicated above (i.e. according to FCC definitions) may be to use an LTE based communication system in TVWS wherein for example either fixed devices or Mode II devices/TVBDs act as eNBs, while Mode I devices are used as attached communication devices/UEs. However, as indicated above, it is required that an access network control element, such as the fixed and Mode II device acting as an eNB, validates each attached communication devices/UEs (i.e. a Mode I device) at the TV WS database before it can be granted any radio resource. For such a validation process, it is necessary to deliver a unique identification element identifying the communication device/UE as a certified device being allowed to use radio resources on the television radio bands/channels (in case of the FCC example, this unique identification element is called FCC ID of the Mode I device) to the TVWS database using a secured connection